


Necessary Sacrifice

by d3stin0



Series: Stability [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23664481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d3stin0/pseuds/d3stin0
Summary: Summary: Talon finds itself in trouble on the battlefield. Sigma thought for sure it was over, till one of the foot soldiers brought him to his senses. He'll never forget that face.
Relationships: Sigma | Siebren de Kuiper/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Stability [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706788
Kudos: 8





	Necessary Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Author is ftm transgender. All experiences expressed in this fic are based off my own. Be advised there are graphic depictions of violence and talk of surgeries and HRT in this fic. If any of that bothers you, I advise you to exercise caution.
> 
> Written in 4 hours on nothing but Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, cigarettes, and caffeine

The briefing didn't last long- a simple execution of a former Talon employee that went into hiding; a man by the name Maxwell Addams. Something about the potential of operations being leaked out of spite. The details of his severance weren't clear, at least to anyone beyond the council. 

The intelligence task force had gotten a confirmation on his location only a few hours ago. The team was assembled within a half hour. 

"That about covers it. Do we have an understanding of the operation details?" Reaper, a man Xev had come to respect yet fear, finished with a quick glance about the room. Moira gave a curt nod, arms crossed across her chest. Nothing ever seemed to phase her. No matter the mission though, she was usually at the helm of it all.

Xev nodded. 

"Yes sir."

Sombra, who really hadn't been paying any attention at all, rolled her eyes. "Are we done here? I'm getting sick of sitting here Ga-"

"Head to the airship then. I don't want to hear excuses. We leave for New York in an hour," Reaper cut her off angrily, somehow boring holes through the deep sockets of his mask at the purple clad woman. Xev was never entirely sure whether they liked each other and this was just playful banter, or if Sombra truly had a death wish in rubbing him the wrong way. Whatever it was, it was none of his business.

A silver claw pointed towards Xev. "You, get the remaining troops ready. I won't tolerate failure on your end either. As commander of those unfortunate souls, their failure is just as much your own. Am I clear?"

Xev just nodded. He didn't need to verbally confirm the obvious. 

Reaper grunted in response, then turned his attention to the red headed scientist. "Good. Moira, get Sigma ready as well. We may run into unexpected trouble, and if I remember correctly, you needed to collect more combat data."

"Great minds think alike I see. I'll see to it that he is ready for the operation. However, it would be wise of us to appoint someone to handle him, should things get out of hand," she quipped, mismatched eyes falling on Xev. This wasn't an uncommon taks for him, especially coming from Moira. In his 10 years of serving Talon, he'd been the proverbial leash holder for project Sigma for the last 5 years.

If he were honest with himself, he would admit that it wasn't because of his dedicated years of service that he was granted this important task. No- it was strictly because he was expendable. Reaper, Sombra, Moira, and Widowmaker were all too valuable to the council to ever be tasked with a literal ticking time bomb. Though it was Moira who saw to him after one of his episodes, it was usually a gaggle of foot soldiers reining him in most of the time.

And Xev just so happened to be the best at it. As if he had a choice to be anything but.

He merely nodded to her and tucked his arms behind his back. "Understood, Doctor O'Deorain."

\--

"Good evening Dr. De Kuiper. How are you feeling today?" Xev greeted the taller man as friendly as his tone would allow him through his bright red face mask. Siebren, or Sigma, smiled politely in return, adjusting his gear as he exited the lab that he frequented.

"Just fine, thank you, 4016. Will you be accompanying us on the mission today?" He said, taking long strides down the hall as Xev followed in tow- which was difficult to say the least, but he kept up anyway. "Yes. I'll be one of the ones clearing the way for you, as a matter of fact."

"Oh? Trying to make our jobs easier I see," He quipped with a raised eyebrow and a side glance. Judging by the tone of his voice, he seemed to be stable- not quite Sigma yet. Xev had learned quickly to tell the differences between Sigma and Siebren and was thankful that the good doctor trusted him enough now to not swap immediately. Although he was never entirely sure if the switch was always intentional or accidental. All he knew was how to subdue him as quickly as possible when things were threatening to fall apart.

They were almost to the air dock now. "It's in my contract I think. Not that you all can't handle yourselves of course. I've seen your abilities on the battlefield enough times now to know that."

At that, Siebren chuckled and his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "Ah, well… I suppose you are correct. Surprising in my old age, isn't it?"

In truth, Xev had no idea how old Siebren was and it never occurred to him to bother asking. It wasn't like it was in his business to know these things anyway, especially with how quickly things tended to move in this line of work. "Please Dr. De Kuiper, you aren't that old. Besides, age is just a number isn't it? In the grand scheme of the universe that is."

"Ah, yes. I knew there was a reason I liked you, 4016. Perhaps you understand more about the universe than you let on."

"Jeeze, get a room you two," the familiar mocking tone of a certain Latina sounded from behind them, instantly causing Xev to train his finger over the trigger of his gun. Siebren seemed unfazed, aside from shooting an annoyed look at her from over his shoulder.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Sombra." His tone was low, serious enough that it forced Sombra to take a step back and smirk sheepishly at the two of them. She knew not to push him too far. 

"Relax amigo, I was only kidding," she responded with a wave of her hand. "Although you two would be cute together."

If Xev could show it, he'd shoot her the dirtiest look he could manage. He was used to Sombra's antics by now, but that still didn't mean he appreciated them. If the wrong person were to overheard that, it could have meant the end of Xev's career- and possibly his life. Besides, it was preposterous to see anything between a foot soldier and one of the greatest minds in the world. 

Plus, Sombra had only seen Xev's face a handful of times. How would she know anything about them being "cute together". And Siebren… he'd never seen his face before. It needed to stay that way.

"We need to get moving. Reaper doesn't wanna be kept waiting. Save the jokes for after the mission's over," Xev responded shortly, clicking the heels of his boots to the tile floor a little quicker than he had before. 

It took Siebren a moment longer than usual to continue walking, shooting Sombra an impressive glare once more. "Keep it together…"

\--

Surprisingly, there was enough room for all agents on one airship. This wasn't a large scale operation to be sure but Xev was almost positive it would take at least two- if only because he knew that he and his men would be left behind without a second thought if given the chance. But perhaps the council was growing soft.

Moira had taken up residence near one of the small tables towards the back where she encouraged both Xev and Siebren to join her. Usually on these longer trips, she'd sit and discuss many aspects of science with Dr. De Kuiper- often droning on to the point that Xev thought they were speaking another language entirely but she never felt the need to include Xev in on these conversations.

This time, however, it was different.

"I hear you two are getting along quite well. It seems you were the right fit for Dr. De Kuiper afterall, 4016," she acknowledged, hands steepled beneath her chin as she offered a twisted smile.

"Yes, he is certainly welcomed company, much like yourself Dr. O'Deorain," Siebren responded humbly, raising a brow in Xev's direction. "He is surprisingly talkative unlike some of his counterparts."

"I've heard. A good conversationalist tends to make a good leader. The better you can negotiate, the higher your rank. Am I right, 4016?"

Perhaps he was reading between the lines a little too far, but Xev didn't trust this conversation for one second. Moira was digging for something and he wasn't entirely sure what it was. "Maybe. I'd like to think I'm just good at following orders, however."

"I'm sure of it. Dr. De Kuiper tells me lots of things about you. It's interesting, considering you're just another faceless mask in this bunch," she said pointedly. Now Xev got it. Sombra must have got to her while they were boarding.

"Now doctor, that was quite uncalled for," Siebren accused, almost as if he was offended for Xev. "We should be grateful for such good conversation. It's so hard to find these days."

She pretended to be upset for a brief moment, but it was quickly replaced with her usual calculated smugness. She must have gotten what she wanted out of that exchange. "That is true. My apologies, 4016. I do appreciate your capabilities, no matter how insignificant they may seem. You should come by my lab sometime. I'm sure you're curious as to what we scientists get up to when we aren't out in the field."

Xev, not wanting to give off any signs of being suspicious, just held up a hand. "I take no offence, Doctor. I know my role here. But should you need any help within your research, I'd be more than happy to help in whatever way I can. After all, I'm at your service, if I recall correctly."

"Indeed. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Dr. De Kuiper privately for a while. I'll call you should the need arise."

\--

That conversation replayed in his head a thousand times over by the time they landed. Xev wasn't entirely sure if Moira waz trying to warn him or stave off Dr. De Kuiper, but it was certain to him that she had made a point: He was getting too comfortable with Siebren.

It was probably because of Sombra, but the fact that she brought up the fact that Siebren talked a lot about  _ him _ \- what was that even about? What was he telling Moira when he wasn't there?

"Snap out of it and get moving. I want this to be quick," Reaper snapped as he walked past, heavy boots making resounding thuds on the metal floor of the ship. Immediately, Xev snapped to attention and walked past him to the squad he was set to command. This wasn't the time for trivial questions- he had a job to do.

"Alright, listen up. We'll be breaking into two halves. 5 will go in and cover the first floor. All entrances and exits need to be trained to ensure that no one gets in or out," he spoke steadily, watching as his men stood at attention, listening intently. "The other 5 will be with me. We're on the front lines clearing the way for the main squad to eliminate the target. Kill anyone on sight. If anyone falls, you leave them. Do I make myself clear?"

The resounding "yes sirs" from the group were all the confirmation he needed. 

\--

Things went relatively well, all things considered. The building was guarded fairly heavily, but it was little to no issue between both squads and the main's capabilities. The first floor was secured in a matter of minutes.

The second floor, however, turned out to be an issue. Sombra had explained that the facility had motion trip sensors and supposedly had cut them before they ever entered the building. Whether it was intentional or not, one of the sensors was tripped- sounding the alarm for any remaining security and potentially back up.

Xev was quick on his feet, finding cover and giving orders. Their objective now was to provide cover fire for Reaper, Moira, and Sigma to move forward. A number of guards came down from all angles. When one dropped two more took their place. It was almost impressive. Almost.

Reaper made quick work of the majority of them, shotguns firing in just about every direction they could reach. Sigma covered their flanks with his barrier and kinetic grasp, dispatching any that got too close. And Moira faded in and out of enemy sight lines, bringing them to their knees before they even realized she was there.

"Keep firing! Don't let them get away!" Xev yelled, chucking a smoke grenade in the direction of a particular group of guards looking to charge Reaper's squad. This allowed them the cover they needed to move up the stairs, leaving the rest of them to Xev's squad.

**_"Sir, come in!"_ **

Ducking behind an overturned table, Xev pushed a button on the side of his helmet to open the comms line. "What's your status, 7024?!"

**_"We've got reinforcements surrounding the building! We're outnumbered!"_ **

_ Of course. _ "Hold your positions! Be ready to retreat on my command. No one gets in this building alive, do you understand?!"

**_"Yes sir! We'll wait for your command!"_ **

Quickly swapping the frequencies, Xev called for Reaper and his squad. His heart was racing, but the adrenaline was pushing him to act fast. The last thing they needed was being locked in a building with no way out and having Siebren lose it. "Reaper, we've got reinforcements coming in. They've got the building surrounded. Have you eliminated the target?"

_**"We've eliminated the target. Report to the roof for emergency evac. Leave anyone that is injured!"** _

Just as he processed what he heard, one of his men crumpled to the floor in a bloody puddle. This was getting bad- far worse than any of their predictions had been. If this kept up, there wouldn't be anyone to evacuate. "Listen up! Retreat to the roof for emergency evacuation! Anyone who is injured is to be left behind. You have your orders now move!"

The remaining members of the squad moved quickly, spraying pulse cover fire as everyone moved towards the stairs. The numbers of the opposition had thinned out considerably since the beginning of the fight, but there were still a number of casualties. The majority of the first squad had been wiped out, save one that was being chased as he ran up the stairs. He was smart enough to at least chuck a smoke grenade behind him to buy a little more time, but ultimately he fell to a precise shot to his thigh.

Xev, against his better judgement, kept pushing onward. If no one else made it out, he had to. If anything happened with Sigma, it'd be his head on a pike. He needed to make it up there and fast.

By the fourth floor, they were down to 4. One more flight of stairs and they'd be there. 

It couldn't be that easy, however. The ray of bullets flew past Xev's head, barely missing him at all. It staggered him for a brief moment and as he turned to see how close the enemy was, he nearly shit. 30 heavily armed guards were closing in on them- too fast for them to ever hope of eluding.

He had to make a choice and fast. Turning on his heel he lit up the front line with supercharged pulse rounds, sending a good many of them tumbling down or out of the way. "Keep running! I'll buy you guys time!"

"But sir-"

"I SAID GO!"

There wasn't time for second guessing. If it meant the others escaped, then he would call this mission a success. There would be someone to take his place just as soon as a bullet pierced his heart. Moira would find another handler for Sigma- things would continue on. This is what he was trained for.

_Click. Click_.

"Shit!" Rifle out of ammo, Xev was fresh out of options and now, out of time. Just as the enemies began to close ranks, he closed his eyes- hoping it would be over quickly. 

**_"WHAT IS THAT MELODY?!"_ **

His eyes shot open to a sight he hoped he'd never see again. Every one of the guards were suspended in the air, screaming and thrashing as if it would help them. Sigma's Gravitic Flux was a special ability, and a torturous one at that. 

Just as they were lifted up they were sent crashing back down- the sickening crack of bones and the blood curdling yells of those whose entire bodies caved in filled the room. But beyond that, more footsteps could be heard coming up the opposite set of stairs.

Whether it was the adrenaline or the sheer will to live, Xev quickly picked himself up and went to grab Sigma's hand. "Come on Sigma! There's more coming! We can't stay here!"

If Sigma heard anything, he made no notion of it. He just stared down the end of the room, gravitic spheres floating in his hand. Xev pulled him- he wouldn't budge. The door busted open, and the first man through the door opened fire at the two of them. "SIEBREN MOVE!"

Still, nothing. In a last ditch effort to save the thing that would cost him his life anyway, Xev jumped in front of a spray of bullets- shielding Sigma from the majority of them. It wasn't as painful as he thought it would be, most of them having missed any fatal spots, but he couldn't hold on much longer. 

His helmet cracked and fell to the ground, revealing a flurry of dark brown curled locks, dark grey eyes fading fast.

Whether it was the sound of gun fire or Xev screaming for him to run, Sigma moved, finally. Throwing up a barrier to shield them from any further harm, he quickly grabbed Xev by his waist and hoisted him up. "What are you doing Sigma?! Leave me behind! You need to go-"

"Shut up! We're leaving!" Siebren cut him off angrily, moving as fast as gravity would allow up the stairs and to the roof. The dropship was waiting with the door wide open. Reaper practically screamed for them to hurry. Once they were on board, the ship took off as the door came to a slow close- leaving the remaining guards left to fire at it's unbreakable hull.

"What the hell were you thinking you idiot?!" Reaper yelled at Sigma, who was still holding Xev's bloodied body. He simply pushed past him, walking straight to Moira who wore an unimpressed expression.

"He needs medical attention immediately, Doctor O'Deorain," he said quietly, eyes sullen and unreadable. Moira queried a brow at the man, but stepped aside to allow access to one of the medical tables. "I'll do what I can. We'll talk about this later, Dr. De Kuiper."

"Thank you, Doctor."

That was the last thing Xev heard before blacking out, the pain numbing every sense he had.

\--

When he awoke he was within the sterile, white walls of the medical bay. His eyes slowly cracked open, adjusting to the bright lights quickly. "Oh, you're awake!"

That voice seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it at the moment. It was deep, soothing almost, but close. Xev turned his head slowly, grimacing at the pain that shot down his shoulders in the process. "... Dr. De Kuiper? Is that you?"

"Um… yes, actually. Please, don't over exert yourself. You've been badly injured," Siebren said as he put a large hand to Xev's shoulder. His touch was warm but worn, something Xev hadn't noticed before. How long had Siebren been here? How long had  _ he  _ been here? "Did… everyone make it out alright?" 

Nodding, Siebren offered a small smile as reassurance. "The mission was a success. Sombra was able to destroy any information Mr. Addams had kept on his personal devices. Our secrets are safe, for now."

That was a relief. In all honesty, Xev hadn't even thought about the potential of information being stored anywhere- which explains why Sombra was even brought onto the mission to begin with.

A sharp pain shot across one whole side of his head, causing him to wince and groan in pain. "Fuck, I've got a headache…"

"Oh, here. Take these. The nurse told me to tell you to do so when you woke up," Siebren responded, reaching for a cup on the bedside table that contained two circular, off white pills. "Here, let me help you sit up."

With a wave of his hand, Xev felt his body being lifted and adjusted carefully into an upright position. It didn't hurt that much, which surprised him, but he was thankful nevertheless. He smiled warmly at Siebren. "Thank you, Doctor-"

"Please, call me Siebren. We're alone. I don't mind."

Xev blinked, taking the cup of pills from the older man before being handed a cup of water. "Siebren… I always wondered how it was pronounced."

In all honesty, he'd never heard anyone call him that. It was always "Sigma" or "Dr. De Kuiper". It was both a formality and a matter of security he supposed. But Siebren had a nice feel to it.

"Funny… you know my name but I don't have a clue what yours is," Siebren said, running a hand over the back of his neck nervously. If Xev didn't know any better, he would have thought the good doctor was flustered. But that was ridiculous.

"... Xev. Xev Kovock."

As if trying it on his tongue, Siebren mulled it over thoughtfully. It was almost endearing how careful he was about pronunciation. It made Xev smile a little. "Xev? What a uh… unique name. I like it. Now I can place a name and a face, can't I?"

"Ah… right you hadn't seen my face till now huh?" He asked, slightly tense about the realization that he had technically broken one of the unspoken rules of being a soldier for Talon. It wasn't his fault though… right? 

"No I hadn't. But I must say, I didn't expect you to be so… Handsome," Siebren remarked sheepishly, causing Xev to blush a little at the compliment. 

"T-thanks, Siebren… uh, you're not so bad yourself."

Siebren waved him off with a hand, chuckling fondly. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Xev. Besides, you can't possibly finding anything about this old man attractive."

"Siebren… how old do you think I am?"

Now he blinked, speechless. "Uh… perhaps 25? 30?"

At that Xev laughed, stopped only by the swelling pain in his chest it caused. "What's so funny? Am I wrong?" Siebren asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"Siebren, I'm 45."

Now he was completely speechless. "Impossible!"

Xev just chuckled at the older man. He knew it was hard to believe but he didn't think it was that unbelievable. "Now why would I lie? I've been with Talon for 10 years, I joined when I was 35. You can ask Doctor O'Deorain if you don't believe me."

It wasn't like Siebren to go completely silent, but there he sat- wide eyed and slack jawed in complete disbelief. As if searching for something to break himself free from that conversation, his eyes fell on a pair of scars dissecting Xev's chest. "Are… those from the mission?"

Xev's gaze followed Siebren's to the crescent shaped markings and tensed a little. "Uh… not exactly. I've had these for awhile. Since I was 22 actually."

"My god's, what happened to you? They look almost deliberate!" 

"Well… they kind of are. Siebren, do you know what being transgender means?" Xev asked carefully, afraid of how this conversation might go. He hadn't really told anyone outside of those necessary that he was transgender, and truthfully he avoided the topic like it was a boiling fire. It was just too personal and too risky.

Again, Siebren was stumped. Something he clearly wasn't used to. "I… don't believe I do. Care to enlighten me? Unless of course it's too painful to talk about. I wouldn't um… want to make you uncomfortable while you're resting."

Waving a hand to dismiss his worries, Xev continued. "No, it's alright. Essentially… when I was born, I was born in the wrong body. I was born and assigned female at birth. So… in order to get into the right body, I've had some procedures done. Such as removing breast tissue."

Siebren seemed to follow along, listening intently and with a sense of awe as he looked over the scars. He seemed to understand, either having heard of this before or just putting the pieces together as Xev explained them. "And that's why I have to see Doctor O'Deorain every week. She administers my hormones and helps me stay stable. She was curious about the process in general, so she considers it a learning experience."

"I see… Fascinating," he responded, truly awestruck. "I would have never guessed."

"That's kind of the point, Siebren."

He nodded. "Right, of course. I… apologize if I offended you. That wasn't my intention."

"I know. You were just curious. No harm in that," Xev reassured him. "I appreciate you being respectful."

Smiling fondly, Siebren sat back in his chair for a moment as if to process the information. It was brief, however, as he sat forward again and met Xev's gaze once again. "I um… I wanted to ask you something, but please, don't feel pressured to answer right away."

That was strange. What could he possibly want to ask? "Okay… What is it?"

He paused, avoiding Xev's gaze as his cheeks flushed pink. "Would you, once you've recovered of course, like to have tea with me… perhaps in the lab one day? I'd er… like to get to know you more. On a personal level, I mean."

_Wait_. Was… was he asking him on a date? Was that even allowed? Surely there was something against the rules about this. But… what could they do to stop them? Upsetting Sigma was not something they wanted to do, given how useful he seemed to be for research purposes and… god only knows what.

As for Xev… Sure, he liked Siebren. He'd liked him for awhile actually, but didn't want to rock any boats he wasn't supposed to. That and he was conveniently his type. What would Moira think? Is this what she was getting at on the dropship?

Xev smiled at Siebren. "You know what? I'd like that. Maybe you can explain some of the stuff you and Moira talk about because honestly, it goes over my head all the time."

The older man's face lit up with a grin- like a kid who had just woken up on Christmas morning. "O-oh! How wonderful! Yes, I can certainly do my best."

"You're cute when you get all excited you know that?"

"Okay now you're just delirious. Get some rest. I'll come visit you when I have time."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Yes. I'm a Sigma fucker. Bully me if you want but at least I have good taste oop-
> 
> Haven't cranked out a fic in awhile. Got burnt out and had to take a very long break. Probably won't be posting regularly by any means but this might become a series at some point.
> 
> I just really love soft Sigma okay, bite me.


End file.
